21 January 2017

AFI - AFI (The Blood Album)

It
has been almost three years since the beautiful ‘Burials’ was released by A Fire Inside (aka AFI) and we are now
back with ‘AFI (The Blood Album’ (I sort of wish they had not given it ‘The Blood Album’ as an official and let
the audience call it that themselves, the cover alone would have made that
happen).Whilst it is always good to see
AFI are releasing more music, you have to wonder what the mood of the band is
at this given time.The cover is darker
than ‘Burials’ and they are not exactly known for being the cheeriest band in
the world, but the only way to find out is to let the album do the talking.

01 – Dark Snow

We are in the post-punk version of A.F.I. which they started mining on ‘Burials’, it is as dark as midnight
here and it is also an epic anthem from the band.The chorus contains a massive hook which is
as catchy as that cold which is going around the UK at the moment, the verses
and bridge are stunning and the band are aiming for epic and hitting it with
this song.One of the strongest opening
songs from A.F.I. in a very long time.

02 – Still A Stranger

Starting with an acoustic guitar, ‘Still
A Strange’ has a similar feeling to ‘Greater Than 84’ as it bounces along
the same anthemic punk and it brings a little bit of light to proceedings (in a
given sense of the word “light”, we are talking about A.F.I. after all).They have a way of making their songs
memorable and it is business as usual here as they discuss still being a
strange with someone who really should be a close friend/lover.Very dramatic as usual and ticking all the
right boxes, sort of what we have come to expect.

03 – Aurelia

For ‘Aurelia’, the band are digging into their post-punk background here,
speaking in rhymes and words in a way that will have fans of their ‘Sing the
Sorrow’ era incredibly happy (once again, in a given sense of the word
“happy”).It is moodier than a teenager
being taken to get school clothes, arty and OTT.It is A.F.I. in flamboyant strut and it is
glorious, it is moving to a slightly different place than the band have done so
far on the album.

04 – Hidden Knives

I am not too sure about ‘Hidden Knives’
to be honest; mainly because the music is almost cheerful and that always
confuses me when they edge to that territory (‘Crash Love’ anyone???).But
the lyrics about macabre knives and things going south at the opportune moment
is much more fitting, but the riff is one I love and hate for some reason.I will probably end up loving this in years
to come, but at the moment it is sticking out like a sore thumb and I know it
is me in the wrong.

05 – Get Hurt

It is all becoming a bit familiar at this point, a song about not letting
someone see you at your most vulnerable and high, it feeling like I have been
here once too often.Musically, the band
once again aim for epic and achieve it comfortably; but that is normal for this
band on this type of song, where is the drama in that?There is little to no difference to this and
other past songs and as much as I like it, I cannot help but feel that this has
been said by the band before.

06 – Above The Bridge

A synth driven post-punk number here actually gains more attention for me due
to it having something different from A.F.I. on this album, a simple thing like
that can add much needed variation to a tried and tested formula.A song about suicide and the after effects,
the band have made a much-needed diversion from the norm here and because it is
so basic in some ways, it makes it much more special for me.

07 – So Beneath You

Ok, this is a throwback in a way to their earlier sound on the opening riff,
however it soon morphs into one of the pack with this album.I will admit that the lyrics which are
defiant in the face of religion and admitting that they believe in nothing, it
has a compelling argument in some ways.But musically it soon loses its appeal for me as it is not going
anywhere different for them, or even approaching their best work.So, it is not bad, but it is not doing
anything good either.

08 – Snow Cats

Now, this is a lot better from the band.‘Snow Cats’ has at least a
hint of drama as they explore being faithful and the music is a slow and
compelling punk anthem that makes finally gives us the dark theatrics that make
this band tick at their best.It is a
song which showcases their best features and it is helps raise my view of this
album.

09 – Dumb Kids

I had to check I was still listening to the same band here, on ‘Dumb Kids’ that band stretch their punk
muscle and invoke their inner Pennywise and Blink-182 with a hymn to teenage
years.I have complained a lot on this
review about them not trying something different, I cannot do that here as it
has at least a degree of difference and energy about it.It is not the best on this album, but it is
certainly one of the surprises of the album for me.

10 – Pink Eyes

Another song which is not doing anything particularly wrong, but it is also not
doing anything that is getting my excitement level up either.It has potential in the mix, a sing-a-long
part of the song, a big hook and a great guitar intro; but it just seems to
solidify into a dull song for me, a well-played song, but not exciting at all.

11 – Feed From The Floor

The gothic side of the band is explored here as the band have a stab at
sounding like The Mission here.It does
not disappoint at all here, they nail the goth punk better than any other band
past or present (yes, I am including The Misfits on that list) and whilst it does
not explode, it is perfectly posed, performed and it gives something different
for the album.

12 – White Offerings

I am not sure what is being said here, are they saying when they can see
someone’s colour change that it means the soul or skin?I do not think that the band are being any
way racist here, but there are somethings which need clarification and to wrap
them in such open lyrics which are so open to interpretation is dangerous.This song needs to have its explained as it
is a strange number, it could be taken a lot of ways and that is not somewhere
you want to be as a group of musicians.Also, the music is a little too empty and dull, so I will quickly move
on.

13 – She Speaks the Language

Love, pain and suffering are at the heart of ‘She Speaks the Language’ and it is a welcome return and
distraction to the gothic side of the band.It has the flair that is required for a set settling song from the band,
it sounds as if they have reached down inside and it is a beautiful riff that
holds the song in the chorus as the bassline guides the verses to new heights.

14 – The Wind That Carries Me Away

Country Goth Pop Punk?Well, at least it
is something different I guess.But it
is a strange song to be honest, one that seems to be a little bit too light on
the ears and once again it feels a bit empty.I cannot say they are playing bad, but it is also a little boring in the
same breath.

Overall, this album is a good record, but it is also slightly flawed as
well.Quantity is not everything and I
think this album could have been shortened by two or three numbers, leave us
wanting more and people will lap it up.But on the flip side of quantity is quality and this album cannot be
seen as a poor record; but I cannot sit here and say it is an amazing record
either, due to there being a repetitive quality to the music on this record and
over 14 tracks it drags out any momentum that would have been gained from this
record.There is a game of two halves
here as well, the first seem a little tired and run of the mil and the second
part seems to have the musical gems.It
is not as if they have made a bad record or over-stretched themselves on ‘A.F.I.’, it is still a good record; but
the rub of it is that it is just a safe record and that my friends is not
something they have done before.I am
not saying that they should be innovated on each record, but they are not
exactly AC/DC or Motorhead, are they?Even
with ‘Crash Love’ they tried
something new, here it is very familiar and there are no surprises – shame.

Welcome to the final round-up review of 2017! Similar to the Round-Up posts I put up earlier in the year, I’m going to be posting some bull...

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Album scoring system

0 - This is proof there is no deity1 - You're really are touching the bottom of the barrel with this one2 - If only there was some quality control3 - It could have been a bit better4 - Well it's alright, but still......5 -Not for everyone but played well6 - Now I see where you were going, but it's not quite there7 - This is good and well worth a check8 - Oh, now you have my attention and maybe my money, time and heart9 - Almost perfect....Almost10 - This is proof there is a deity(For albums that are too crazy to be marked)Crazy Cat symbol - This album cannot be marked, so here is a box of kittens

Singles/EP Marking System

0 - Only to be listened to by people bless with the gift of being deaf1 - Not so much on the bad that it is bottom of the barrel, but it can see the stuff down there2 - Not bad, not good - so average it is Zen3 - Decent, getting there4 - This is really good, well worth checking out5 - I wish I had extra ears to love this more(For Singles/EPs that are too crazy to mark)Crazy Cat symbol - This release cannot be marked, so here is a box of kittens